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Enter the world of Windemere with 11 action adventure short stories featuring a man who is out to make an honest living.

Some heroes seek fame. Some seek fortune. Others simply want to save the world. Ichabod Brooks only wants to put food on the table for his family.

Known and respected as the man who can get any job done, Ichabod has seen his share of adventure. Most of which have been highly exaggerated by bards. Still, the man has his famous reputation for a reason. Whether it be climbing a temperamental mountain for eggs or escorting orphans to their new homes, Ichabod takes every job seriously and makes sure he is as prepared as he can be. Not that it helps since things always take a turn for the worse.

“Is this any way to greet an old friend?” a dwarf in dark gray chainmail asks before plugging his ears with his dark red beard. Wanting the bard to stop, the mountaineer marches over and puts a hand over the young woman’s mouth. “Are you supposed to use her as bait? I did hear there’s a hobgoblin pack that moved in a few months ago. You know how those drooling scavengers love elf flesh.”

“Sorry about that, Dex. She latched on at my last stop and I haven’t been able to shake her off,” Ichabod replies, shaking his guide’s hand. He rubs his own black and white beard at the sight of how his friend shows no sign of graying. “I have to give this one credit for tenacity, but this is where we part ways. Galaces Mountain is not a place to go unless you have experience, an excellent guide, and common sense. So far, I don’t see you having any of those things and I’m not going to babysit.”

“I must go. That’s the only way I can write about your newest adventure,” the bard insists, unwittingly proving Ichabod right. She crosses her arms and meets the icy stare of the dwarf, who she considers leaving out of her tale. “Being the first to speak of your climb will help my reputation. I promise not to cause any trouble and pull my own weight. Elves are graceful and agile, which makes us perfect companions for whatever it is you’re doing. Besides, Galaces Mountain doesn’t look like that bad a climb. The stories must be nothing more than colorful exaggerations.”

Ichabod puts on a pair of white-palmed gloves and slips a blue band on his finger, a charge going through his body to enhance his lungs. “I suddenly relate very well to this mountain. Take a look at the empty space between us and Galaces. You’ll see why this place has earned a reputation.”

The bard puts her lute over her shoulder and walks to the yellow rope, which sparks with a mild magic. At first, she is unsure of what she is supposed to pay attention to among the shrubs and fallen rocks. It takes the elf a few minutes to recognize weather worn bones sticking out from under a boulder. The limbs are splayed since the climber plummeted with the rough stone pressed against his back and the landing embedded him in the ground. Knowing what to look for, the bard realizes that there are at least ten old corpses hidden by the mountain’s litter. The bard spots the fresh body of a yellow-skinned creature sitting behind a shrub, the armored creature crumpled from landing butt first after its fall. She is about to ask a question when a small pain runs up her arm and she collapses into a magical slumber.

“Guess that’s more humane than knocking her on the head,” Dex mentions while Ichabod carries the young woman to the dwarf’s cart. He shields his eyes as he stares at the churning clouds that have been trapped around the peak. “Looks like the eagles captured a storm beneath their nest this year. Means the winds are going to be brutal and the tunnels are infested with horned spiders and revelers. Not going to be an easy trip. Sure, you don’t want someone else to take this contract?”

“I’d love to hand this off to someone else, but Chef Zyrk always insists that I take the job. I have no injuries, diseases, or family events, so I’m here,” Ichabod replies, sheathing his sleep-inducing shortsword. As an afterthought, he grabs a horse blanket and tosses it over the bard to hide her from view. “The Starwind Eagles lay eggs every ten years and now is the time to get to them. Wait any longer and the mountain will be crawling with hunters. A youngster wouldn’t know that or have you as a guide.”

The dwarf grins as he lifts the rope and gestures for his friend to lead the way. “They also don’t have your wife making deals that you can’t say no to. She mentioned that you’re getting three times the usual pay because this baby is going to be prepared for Duke Solomon’s wedding. Personally, I’m looking forward to your wife’s cooking after this. Surprised your gut isn’t huge considering that woman can make a pot roast even the gods would praise. Did you happen to bring some of her dishes for the road?”

“I can cook too, you know.”

“You can bake, Ichabod. Not the same as cooking in my book.”

“So you don’t want the cookies I brought.”

“Oatmeal and cranberry?”

“With a touch of cinnamon.”

*****

About the Author:

Charles Yallowitz was born and raised on Long Island, NY, but he has spent most of his life wandering his own imagination in a blissful haze. Occasionally, he would return from this world for the necessities such as food, showers, and Saturday morning cartoons. One day he returned from his imagination and decided he would share his stories with the world. After his wife decided that she was tired of hearing the same stories repeatedly, she convinced him that it would make more sense to follow his dream of being a fantasy author. So, locked within the house under orders to shut up and get to work, Charles brings you Legends of Windemere. He looks forward to sharing all of his stories with you, and his wife is happy he finally has someone else to play with.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie

Description from Goodreads

The twentieth anniversary edition of Sherman Alexie’s iconic short story collection—featuring a new prologue from the author

The twenty-four linked tales in Alexie’s debut collection—an instant classic—paint an unforgettable portrait of life on and around the Spokane Indian Reservation, a place where “Survival = Anger x Imagination,” where HUD houses and generations of privation intertwine with history, passion, and myth. We follow Thomas Builds-the-Fire, the longwinded storyteller no one really listens to; his half-hearted nemesis, Victor, the basketball star turned recovering alcoholic; and a wide cast of other vividly drawn characters on a haunting journey filled with humor and sorrow, resilience and resignation, dreams and reality. Alexie’s unadulterated honesty and boundless compassion come together in a poetic vision of a world in which the gaps between past and present are not really gaps after all.The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven received a Special Citation for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Best First Fiction, and was the basis for the acclaimed 1998 feature film Smoke Signals.

I gave this book four stars out of five

My thoughts:

Before I start my review proper, I just have to say what a great title this is for a book.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a riveting collection of short stories that were a brilliant insight in to how life on the reservation was for native American Indians, told in an informative and delightful manner. It was an easy and pleasurable read and the format of the book, the linked short stories, was conducive to this, the short stories weaving a more complete picture.

The book was imbued with humour and I found myself laughing out loud on numerous occasions. Despite the humour though, these stories also dealt with some serious issues, such as the prevalence of alcoholism amongst the native American Indians living on the reservation, or ‘rez’, and the way in which they were stereotyped by the white man.

The author had a very relaxed style of writing. I imagine that this was following in the grand tradition of native American Indian storytelling. I sometimes felt as if I was sat around a campfire listening to stories about nature and spirits with close friends and family. Mostly though, these are stories of a tough, hard way of life.

There were many beautifully descriptive passages, although there was a degree of angst and cynicism that came through also. I found it easy to identify with the many colourful characters, and their varied and interesting viewpoints were incredibly revealing.

I would recommend this book as a great insight into the life of native American Indians and life on a reservation. Since it is a collection of short stories, it can easily be dipped into as and when you like, and read in small chunks, without sacrificing any continuity of plot.

This review is based on a digital review copy provided by Netgalley and the publisher.

A short while ago I was sent a copy of ‘Dark Wisdom’ by Matt Chase of Matt Chase International to read. It is a collection of about twenty short stories, some linked stories others entirely independent. I really enjoyed reading through the almost 150 pages. It is the first time I have ever been asked to look at anyone’s work, which made this kind of special.

The stories were based on a variety of different topics, although there did appear to be some central themes that were explored more than others. In particular Eastern religious influences pervaded the collection, along with the idea of alternative lifestyles such as communal living. Both of these are of some personal interest to me so added to my enjoyment. As I have mentioned the stories were very varied ranging from gritty, down to earth stories involving domestic abuse to surreal fantasy and those of an overtly sexual nature. They were set in times ranging from the recent past, through the present day to the future.

It was nice to have so many different stories as it kept things interesting. I would sometimes start to read a story and recognise characters as those from an earlier story, finding that the current story was either a continuation of an earlier one, or a different aspect of it. In particular I enjoyed a story called ‘The Complex Man’ and the protagonist Tim/Joel, but you will have to read the collection to find out what it is about. No spoilers here.

To conclude, I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. In particular, I liked the variety of the stories and the inventiveness of the author in his approach to them. I would most certainly recommend taking a look. In addition, the author very considerately provided adequate warning in the introduction to the appropriateness of certain stories to some age groups. This is something that I think readers should be able to expect from any responsible author.